New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Gronkowski thinks Mac Jones still has an NFL future ahead of him but not with the New England Patriots.

Gronkowski suggested on Wednesday that Jones should ask the Patriots for his release and catch on with a different team in a rather unlikely scenario.

“He’s not respected in New England,” Gronkowski said of Jones. “Coach (Bill) Belichick has played all these games with him. Bailey Zappe isn’t even close to being on Mac Jones’ level. You should never, ever sit Mac Jones. You tried it once, you tried it twice, it’s not working. Now he’s doing it again. He won’t name a starting quarterback.

“He’s not respected there. I think Mac Jones should ultimately, even right now, should just go ask for his release. And then, if it’s granted, he should go sign with the Cleveland Browns and start a new career.”

There is no reason to think the Patriots would actually release Jones even if he asked them to. This is more of a pipe dream than anything else, even though some Patriots players might not be unhappy with that outcome.

Jones has 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season while averaging just over 203 yards per game. If Jones is not respected in New England, it is because of numbers like those.

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